map.txt For Vim version 8.1. Last change: 2018 Dec 18
VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
Key mapping, abbreviations and user-defined commands.
This subject is introduced in sections 05.3,24.7 and 40.1 of the user
manual.
1. Key mappingkey-mapping
1.1 MAP COMMANDS :map-commands
1.2 Special arguments :map-arguments
1.3 Mapping and modes :map-modes
1.4 Listing mappings map-listing
1.5 Mapping special keys :map-special-keys
1.6 Special characters :map-special-chars
1.7 What keys to map map-which-keys
1.8 Examples map-examples
1.9 Using mappings map-typing
1.10 Mapping alt-keys :map-alt-keys
1.11 Mapping an operator:map-operator
2. Abbreviationsabbreviations
3. Local mappings and functionsscript-local
4. User-defined commands user-commands==============================================================================
1. Key mappingkey-mappingmappingmacro
Key mappingis used to change the meaning of typed keys. The most common use
is to define a sequence of commands for a function key. Example:
:map <F2> a<C-R>=strftime("%c")<CR><Esc>
This appends the current date and time after the cursor (in <> notation |<>|).
1.1 MAP COMMANDS :map-commands
There are commands to enter new mappings, remove mappings and list mappings.
See map-overview for the various forms of "map" and their relationships with
modes.
{lhs} means left-hand-side {lhs}{rhs} means right-hand-side {rhs}:map{lhs}{rhs}mapmode-nvo:map
:nm[ap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-n:nm:nmap
:vm[ap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-v:vm:vmap
:xm[ap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-x:xm:xmap:smap{lhs}{rhs}mapmode-s:smap
:om[ap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-o:om:omap:map!{lhs}{rhs}mapmode-ic:map!
:im[ap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-i:im:imap
:lm[ap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-l:lm:lmap
:cm[ap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-c:cm:cmap
:tma[p] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-t:tma:tmap
Map the key sequence {lhs} to {rhs} for the modes
where the map command applies. The result, including
{rhs}, is then further scanned for mappings. This
allows for nested and recursive use of mappings.
:nore:norem
:no[remap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-nvo:no:noremap:nor
:nn[oremap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-n:nn:nnoremap
:vn[oremap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-v:vn:vnoremap
:xn[oremap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-x:xn:xnoremap
:snor[emap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-s:snor:snoremap
:ono[remap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-o:ono:onoremap
:no[remap]! {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-ic:no!:noremap!
:ino[remap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-i:ino:inoremap
:ln[oremap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-l:ln:lnoremap
:cno[remap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-c:cno:cnoremap
:tno[remap] {lhs}{rhs}mapmode-t:tno:tnoremap
Map the key sequence {lhs} to {rhs} for the modes
where the map command applies. Disallow mapping of
{rhs}, to avoid nested and recursive mappings. Often
used to redefine a command. {not in Vi}
:unm[ap] {lhs}mapmode-nvo:unm:unmap
:nun[map] {lhs}mapmode-n:nun:nunmap
:vu[nmap] {lhs}mapmode-v:vu:vunmap
:xu[nmap] {lhs}mapmode-x:xu:xunmap
:sunm[ap] {lhs}mapmode-s:sunm:sunmap
:ou[nmap] {lhs}mapmode-o:ou:ounmap
:unm[ap]! {lhs}mapmode-ic:unm!:unmap!
:iu[nmap] {lhs}mapmode-i:iu:iunmap
:lu[nmap] {lhs}mapmode-l:lu:lunmap
:cu[nmap] {lhs}mapmode-c:cu:cunmap
:tunma[p] {lhs}mapmode-t:tunma:tunmap
Remove the mapping of {lhs} for the modes where the
map command applies. The mapping may remain defined
for other modes where it applies.
Note: Trailing spaces are included in the {lhs}. This
unmap does NOT work:
:map @@ foo :unmap @@ | print
:mapc[lear] mapmode-nvo:mapc:mapclear
:nmapc[lear] mapmode-n:nmapc:nmapclear
:vmapc[lear] mapmode-v:vmapc:vmapclear
:xmapc[lear] mapmode-x:xmapc:xmapclear
:smapc[lear] mapmode-s:smapc:smapclear
:omapc[lear] mapmode-o:omapc:omapclear
:mapc[lear]! mapmode-ic:mapc!:mapclear!
:imapc[lear] mapmode-i:imapc:imapclear
:lmapc[lear] mapmode-l:lmapc:lmapclear
:cmapc[lear] mapmode-c:cmapc:cmapclear
:tmapc[lear] mapmode-t:tmapc:tmapclear
Remove ALL mappings for the modes where the map
command applies. {not in Vi}
Use the <buffer> argument to remove buffer-local
mappings :map-<buffer>
Warning: This also removes the default mappings.
:mapmapmode-nvo
:nm[ap] mapmode-n
:vm[ap] mapmode-v
:xm[ap] mapmode-x
:sm[ap] mapmode-s
:om[ap] mapmode-o:map!mapmode-ic
:im[ap] mapmode-i
:lm[ap] mapmode-l
:cm[ap] mapmode-c
:tma[p] mapmode-tList all key mappings for the modes where the map
command applies. Note that ":map" and ":map!" are
used most often, because they include the other modes.
:map{lhs}mapmode-nvo:map_l
:nm[ap] {lhs}mapmode-n:nmap_l
:vm[ap] {lhs}mapmode-v:vmap_l
:xm[ap] {lhs}mapmode-x:xmap_l
:sm[ap] {lhs}mapmode-s:smap_l
:om[ap] {lhs}mapmode-o:omap_l:map!{lhs}mapmode-ic:map_l!
:im[ap] {lhs}mapmode-i:imap_l
:lm[ap] {lhs}mapmode-l:lmap_l
:cm[ap] {lhs}mapmode-c:cmap_l
:tma[p] {lhs}mapmode-t:tmap_lList the key mappings for the key sequences starting
with {lhs} in the modes where the map command applies.
{not in Vi}
These commands are used to map a key or key sequence to astring of
characters. You can use this to put command sequences under function keys,
translate one key into another, etc. See :mkexrc for how to save and
restore the current mappings.
map-ambiguous
When two mappings start with the same sequence of characters, they are
ambiguous. Example:
:imap aa foo :imap aaa bar
When Vim has read "aa",it will need to get another character to be able to
decide if "aa" or "aaa" should be mapped. This means that after typing "aa"
that mapping won't get expanded yet, Vim is waiting for another character.
If you type a space, then "foo" will get inserted, plus the space. If you
type "a", then "bar" will get inserted.
{Vi does not allow ambiguous mappings}
1.2 SPECIAL ARGUMENTS :map-arguments
"<buffer>", "<nowait>", "<silent>", "<special>", "<script>", "<expr>" and
"<unique>" can be used in any order. They must appear right after the
command, before any other arguments.
:map-local:map-<buffer>E224E225
If the first argument to one of these commands is "<buffer>" the mapping will
be effective in the current buffer only. Example:
:map <buffer> ,w /[.,;]<CR>
Then you can map ",w" to something else in another buffer:
:map <buffer> ,w /[#&!]<CR>
The local buffer mappings are used before the global ones. See <nowait> below
to make a short local mapping not taking effect when a longer global one
exists.
The "<buffer>" argument can also be used to clear mappings:
:unmap <buffer> ,w :mapclear <buffer>
Local mappings are also cleared when a buffer is deleted, but not when itis
unloaded. Just like local option values.
Also see map-precedence.:map-<nowait>:map-nowait
When defining a buffer-local mapping for "," there may be a global mapping
that starts with ",". Then you need to type another character for Vim to know
whether to use the "," mapping or the longer one. To avoid this add the
<nowait> argument. Then the mapping will be used when it matches, Vim does
not wait for more characters to be typed. However, if the characters were
already typed they are used.
:map-<silent>:map-silent
To define amapping which will not be echoed on the command line, add
"<silent>" as the first argument. Example:
:map <silent> ,h /Header<CR>
The search string will not be echoed when using this mapping. Messages from
the executed command are still given though. To shut them up too, add a
":silent" in the executed command:
:map <silent> ,h :exe ":silent normal /Header\r"<CR>
Prompts will still be given, e.g., for inputdialog().
Using "<silent>" for an abbreviation is possible, but will cause redrawing of
the command line to fail.
:map-<special>:map-special
Define amapping with <>notation for special keys, even though the "<" flag
may appear in 'cpoptions'. This is useful if the side effect of setting
'cpoptions'is not desired. Example:
:map <special> <F12> /Header<CR>:map-<script>:map-script
If the first argument to one of these commands is "<script>" and itis used to
define a new mapping or abbreviation, the mapping will only remap characters
in the {rhs} using mappings that were defined local to a script, starting with
"<SID>". This can be used to avoid that mappings from outside ascript
interfere (e.g., when CTRL-Vis remapped in mswin.vim), but do use other
mappings defined in the script.
Note: ":map<script>" and ":noremap<script>" do the same thing. The
"<script>" overrules the command name. Using ":noremap<script>" is
preferred, because it's clearer that remapping is (mostly) disabled.
:map-<unique>E226E227
If the first argument to one of these commands is "<unique>" and itis used to
define a new mapping or abbreviation, the command will fail if the mapping or
abbreviation already exists. Example:
:map <unique> ,w /[#&!]<CR>
When defining a local mapping, there will also be a check if a global map
already exists which is equal.
Example of what will fail:
:map ,w /[#&!]<CR> :map <buffer> <unique> ,w /[.,;]<CR>
If you want to map a key and then have itdo what it was originally mapped to,
have a look atmaparg().:map-<expr>:map-expression
If the first argument to one of these commands is "<expr>" and itis used to
define a new mapping or abbreviation, the argument is an expression. The
expressionis evaluated to obtain the {rhs} that is used. Example:
:inoremap <expr> . InsertDot()
The result of the InsertDot() function will be inserted. It could check the
text before the cursor and start omni completion when some condition is met.
For abbreviationsv:charis set to the character that was typed to trigger
the abbreviation. You can use this to decide how to expand the {lhs}. You
should not either insert or change the v:char.
Be very careful about side effects! The expressionis evaluated while
obtaining characters, you may very well make the command dysfunctional.
For this reason the following is blocked:
- Changing the buffer text textlock.- Editing another buffer.
- The :normal command.
- Moving the cursor is allowed, but itis restored afterwards.
If you want the mapping to do any of these let the returned characters do
that.
You can use getchar(), it consumes typeahead if there is any. E.g., if you
have these mappings:
inoremap <expr> <C-L> nr2char(getchar()) inoremap <expr> <C-L>x "foo"
If you now type CTRL-L nothing happens yet, Vim needs the next character to
decide what mapping to use. If you type 'x' the second mappingis used and
"foo" is inserted. If you type any other key the first mappingis used,
getchar() gets the typed key and returns it.
Here is an example that inserts alist number that increases:
let counter = 0 inoremap <expr> <C-L> ListItem() inoremap <expr> <C-R> ListReset() func ListItem() let g:counter += 1 return g:counter . '. ' endfunc func ListReset() let g:counter = 0 return '' endfuncCTRL-L inserts the next number, CTRL-R resets the count. CTRL-R returns an
empty string, so that nothing is inserted.
Note that there are some tricks to make special keys work and escape CSI bytes
in the text. The :map command also does this, thus you must avoid that itis done twice. This does not work:
:imap <expr> <F3> "<Char-0x611B>"
Because the <Char- sequence is escaped for being a:imap argument and then
again for using <expr>. This does work:
:imap <expr> <F3> "\u611B"
Using 0x80 asa single byte before other text does not work, it will be seen
asa special key.
1.3 MAPPING AND MODES :map-modesmapmode-nvomapmode-nmapmode-vmapmode-o
There are six sets of mappings
- For Normal mode: When typing commands.
- For Visual mode: When typing commands while the Visual area is highlighted.
- For Select mode: like Visual mode but typing text replaces the selection.
- For Operator-pending mode: When an operatoris pending (after "d", "y", "c",
etc.). See below: omap-info.- For Insert mode. These are also used in Replace mode.
- For Command-line mode: When entering a ":" or "/" command.
Special case: While typing acount for a command in Normal mode, mapping zero
is disabled. This makes it possible to map zero without making it impossible
to type acount with a zero.
map-overviewmap-modes
Overview of which map command works in which mode. More details below.
COMMANDS MODES :map:noremap:unmap Normal, Visual, Select, Operator-pending:nmap:nnoremap:nunmapNormal:vmap:vnoremap:vunmapVisual and Select:smap:snoremap:sunmapSelect:xmap:xnoremap:xunmapVisual:omap:onoremap:ounmapOperator-pending:map!:noremap!:unmap!Insert and Command-line:imap:inoremap:iunmapInsert:lmap:lnoremap:lunmap Insert, Command-line, Lang-Arg
:cmap:cnoremap:cunmapCommand-line:tmap:tnoremap:tunmapTerminal-Job COMMANDS MODES Normal Visual+Select Operator-pending :map:noremap:unmap:mapclear yes yes yes
:nmap:nnoremap:nunmap:nmapclear yes --:vmap:vnoremap:vunmap:vmapclear- yes -:omap:onoremap:ounmap:omapclear-- yes
:nunmap can also be used outside of a monastery.
mapmode-xmapmode-s
Some commands work both in Visual and Select mode, some in only one. Note
that quite often "Visual" is mentioned where both Visual and Select mode
apply. Select-mode-mappingNOTE: Mapping a printable character in Select mode may confuse the user. It's
better to explicitly use :xmap and :smap for printable characters. Or use
:sunmap after defining the mapping.
COMMANDS MODES Visual Select :vmap:vnoremap:vunmap:vmapclear yes yes
:xmap:xnoremap:xunmap:xmapclear yes -:smap:snoremap:sunmap:smapclear- yes
mapmode-icmapmode-imapmode-cmapmode-l
Some commands work both in Insert mode and Command-line mode, some not:
COMMANDS MODES Insert Command-line Lang-Arg :map!:noremap!:unmap!:mapclear! yes yes -:imap:inoremap:iunmap:imapclear yes --:cmap:cnoremap:cunmap:cmapclear- yes -:lmap:lnoremap:lunmap:lmapclear yes* yes* yes*
The original Vi did not have separate mappings for
Normal/Visual/Operator-pending mode and for Insert/Command-line mode.
Therefore the ":map" and ":map!" commands enter and display mappings for
several modes. In Vim you can use the ":nmap", ":vmap", ":omap", ":cmap" and
":imap" commands to enter mappings for each mode separately.
mapmode-t
The terminal mappings are used in aterminal window, when typing keys for the
job running in the terminal. See terminal-typing.omap-infoOperator-pending mappings can be used to define amovement command that can be
used with any operator. Simple example:
:omap { w
makes "y{" work like "yw" and "d{" like "dw".
To ignore the starting cursor position and select different text, you can have
the omap start Visual mode to select the text to be operated upon. Example
that operates on a function name in the current line:
onoremap <silent> F :<C-U>normal! 0f(hviw<CR>
The CTRL-U (<C-U>) is used to remove the range that Vim may insert. The
Normal mode commands find the first '(' character and select the first word
before it. That usually is the function name.
To enter amapping for Normal and Visual mode, but not Operator-pending mode,
first define it for all three modes, then unmap it for
Operator-pending mode:
:map xx something-difficult :ounmap xx
Likewise for amapping for Visual and Operator-pending mode or Normal and
Operator-pending mode.
language-mapping
":lmap" defines amapping that applies to:
-Insert mode
-Command-line mode
- when entering a search pattern- the argument of the commands that accept a text character, such as "r" and
"f"
- for the input() line
Generally: Whenever a character is to be typed that is part of the text in the
buffer, not a Vim command character. "Lang-Arg" isn't really another mode,
it's just used here for this situation.
The simplest way to load a set of related language mappings is by using the
'keymap' option. See 45.5.
In Insert mode and in Command-line mode the mappings can be disabled with
the CTRL-^ command i_CTRL-^c_CTRL-^. These commands change the value of
the 'iminsert' option. When starting to enter a normal command line (not a
search pattern) the mappings are disabled until aCTRL-^is typed. The state
last used is remembered for Insert mode and Search patterns separately. The
state for Insert mode is also used when typing a character as an argument to
command like "f" or "t".
Language mappings will never be applied to already mapped characters. They
are only used for typed characters. This assumes that the language mapping
was already done when typing the mapping.
1.4 LISTING MAPPINGS map-listing
When listing mappings the characters in the first two columns are:
CHAR MODE <Space> Normal, Visual, Select and Operator-pendingnNormalvVisual and SelectsSelectxVisualoOperator-pending!Insert and Command-lineiInsertl ":lmap" mappings for Insert, Command-line and Lang-Arg
cCommand-linetTerminal-Job
Just before the {rhs}a special character can appear:
* indicates that itis not remappable
& indicates that only script-local mappings are remappable
@ indicates a buffer-local mapping
Everything from the first non-blank after {lhs} up to the end of the line
(or '|')is considered to be part of {rhs}. This allows the {rhs} to end
with a space.
Note: When using mappings for Visual mode, you can use the "'<" mark, which
is the start of the last selected Visual area in the current buffer '<.
The :filter command can be used to select what mappings to list. The
patternis matched against the {lhs} and {rhs} in the raw form.
:map-verbose
When 'verbose'is non-zero, listing a key map will also display where it was
last defined. Example:
:verbose map <C-W>* n <C-W>* * <C-W><C-S>* Last set from /home/abcd/.vimrc
See :verbose-cmd for more information.
1.5 MAPPING SPECIAL KEYS :map-special-keys
There are three ways to map a special key:
1. The Vi-compatible method: Map the key code. Often this isa sequence that
starts with <Esc>. To enter amapping like this you type ":map " and then
you have to type CTRL-V before hitting the function key. Note that when
the key code for the key is in the termcap (the t_ options), it will
automatically be translated into the internal code and become the second
way of mapping (unless the 'k' flag is included in 'cpoptions').
2. The second method is to use the internal code for the function key. To
enter such amapping type CTRL-K and then hit the function key, or use
the form "#1", "#2", .. "#9", "#0", "<Up>", "<S-Down>", "<S-F7>", etc.
(see table of keys key-notation, all keys from <Up> can be used). The
first ten function keys can be defined in two ways: Just the number, like
"#2", and with "<F>", like "<F2>". Both stand for function key 2. "#0"
refers to function key 10, defined with option 't_f10', which may be
function key zero on some keyboards. The <> form cannot be used when
'cpoptions' includes the '<' flag.
3. Use the termcap entry, with the form <t_xx>, where "xx" is the name of the
termcap entry. Any string entry can be used. For example:
:map <t_F3> G
Maps function key 13 to "G". This does not work if 'cpoptions' includes
the '<' flag.
The advantage of the second and third method is that the mapping will work on
different terminals without modification (the function key will be
translated into the same internal code or the actual key code, no matter what
terminal you are using. The termcapmust be correct for this to work, and you
must use the same mappings).
DETAIL: Vim first checks if a sequence from the keyboard is mapped. If it
isn't the terminal key codes are tried (see terminal-options). If aterminal code is found itis replaced with the internal code. Then the check
for amappingis done again (so you can map an internal code to something
else). What is written into the script file depends on what is recognized.
If the terminal key code was recognized asamapping the key code itself is
written to the script file. If it was recognized asaterminal code the
internal code is written to the script file.
1.6 SPECIAL CHARACTERS :map-special-charsmap_backslashmap-backslashNote that only CTRL-Vis mentioned here asa special character for mappings
and abbreviations. When 'cpoptions' does not contain 'B', abackslash can
also be used like CTRL-V. The <> notation can be fully used then |<>|. But
you cannot use "<C-V>" like CTRL-V to escape the special meaning of what
follows.
To map a backslash, or use abackslash literally in the {rhs}, the special
sequence "<Bslash>" can be used. This avoids the need to double backslashes
when using nested mappings.
map_CTRL-Cmap-CTRL-C
Using CTRL-C in the {lhs}is possible, but it will only work when Vim is
waiting for a key, not when Vim is busy with something. When Vim is busy
CTRL-C interrupts/breaks the command.
When using the GUI version on MS-WindowsCTRL-C can be mapped to allow a Copy
command to the clipboard. Use CTRL-Break to interrupt Vim.
map_space_in_lhsmap-space_in_lhs
To include aspace in {lhs} precede it with aCTRL-V (type two CTRL-Vs for
each space).
map_space_in_rhsmap-space_in_rhs
If you want a{rhs} that starts with a space, use "<Space>". To be fully Vi
compatible (but unreadable) don't use the <> notation, precede {rhs} with a
single CTRL-V (you have to type CTRL-V two times).
map_empty_rhsmap-empty-rhs
You can create an empty {rhs} by typing nothing after a single CTRL-V (you
have to type CTRL-V two times). Unfortunately, you cannot do this in avimrc
file.
<Nop>
An easier way to get amapping that doesn't produce anything, is to use
"<Nop>" for the {rhs}. This only works when the <>notationis enabled.
For example, to make sure that function key 8 does nothing at all:
:map <F8> <Nop> :map! <F8> <Nop>map-multibyte
It is possible to map multibyte characters, but only the whole character. You
cannot map the first byte only. This was done to prevent problems in this
scenario:
:set encoding=latin1 :imap <M-C> foo :set encoding=utf-8
The mapping for <M-C>is defined with the latin1 encoding, resulting in a 0xc3
byte. If you type the character á (0xe1 <M-a>) in UTF-8 encoding this is the
two bytes 0xc3 0xa1. You don't want the 0xc3 byte to be mapped then or
otherwise it would be impossible to type the á character.
<Leader>mapleader
To define amapping which uses the "mapleader" variable, the special string
"<Leader>" can be used. It is replaced with the string value of "mapleader".
If "mapleader" is not set or empty, abackslashis used instead. Example:
:map <Leader>A oanother line<Esc>
Works like:
:map \A oanother line<Esc>
But after:
:let mapleader = ","
It works like:
:map ,A oanother line<Esc>Note that the value of "mapleader" is used at the moment the mappingis
defined. Changing "mapleader" after that has no effect for already defined
mappings.
<LocalLeader>maplocalleader<LocalLeader>is just like <Leader>, except that it uses "maplocalleader"
instead of "mapleader".<LocalLeader>is to be used for mappings which are
local to a buffer. Example:
:map <buffer> <LocalLeader>A oanother line<Esc>
In a global plugin<Leader> should be used and in afiletypeplugin<LocalLeader>. "mapleader" and "maplocalleader" can be equal. Although, if
you make them different, there isa smaller chance of mappings from global
plugins to clash with mappings for filetype plugins. For example, you could
keep "mapleader" at the default backslash, and set "maplocalleader" to an
underscore.
map-<SID>
In ascript the special key name "<SID>" can be used to define amapping
that's local to the script. See <SID> for details.
<Plug>
The special key name "<Plug>" can be used for an internal mapping, which is
not to be matched with any key sequence. This is useful in plugins
using-<Plug>.<Char><Char->
To map a character by its decimal, octal or hexadecimal number the <Char>
construct can be used:
<Char-123> character 123
<Char-033> character 27
<Char-0x7f> character 127
<S-Char-114> character 114 ('r') shifted ('R')
This is useful to specify a (multi-byte) character in a'keymap' file.
Upper and lowercase differences are ignored.
map-comments
It is not possible to puta comment after these commands, because the '"'
character is considered to be part of the {lhs} or {rhs}. However, one can
use |", since this starts a new, empty command with a comment.
map_barmap-bar
Since the '|' character is used to separate a map command from the next
command, you will have to do something special to include a'|' in {rhs}.
There are three methods:
use works when example <Bar> '<' is not in 'cpoptions':map _l :!ls <Bar> more^M
\| 'b' is not in 'cpoptions':map _l :!ls \| more^M
^V| always, in Vim and Vi:map _l :!ls ^V| more^M
(here ^V stands for CTRL-V; to get one CTRL-V you have to type it twice; you
cannot use the <> notation "<C-V>" here).
All three work when you use the default setting for 'cpoptions'.
When 'b' is present in 'cpoptions', "\|" will be recognized asamapping
ending in a '\' and then another command. This isVi compatible, but
illogical when compared to other commands.
map_returnmap-return
When you have amapping that contains an Ex command, you need to puta line
terminator after it to have it executed. The use of <CR>is recommended for
this (see <>). Example:
:map _ls :!ls -l %:S<CR>:echo "the end"<CR>
To avoid mapping of the characters you type in insert or Command-line mode,
type aCTRL-V first. The mapping in Insert mode is disabled if the 'paste'
option is on.
map-errorNote that when an error is encountered (that causes an error message or beep)
the rest of the mappingis not executed. This is Vi-compatible.
Note that the second character (argument) of the commands @zZtTfF[]rm'`"v
and CTRL-Xis not mapped. This was done to be able to use all the named
registers and marks, even when the command with the same name has been
mapped.
1.7 WHAT KEYS TO MAP map-which-keys
If you are going to map something, you will need to choose which key(s) to use
for the {lhs}. You will have to avoid keys that are used for Vim commands,
otherwise you would not be able to use those commands anymore. Here are a few
suggestions:
- Function keys <F2>, <F3>, etc.. Also the shifted function keys <S-F1>,
<S-F2>, etc. Note that <F1>is already used for the help command.
- Meta-keys (with the ALT key pressed). Depending on your keyboard accented
characters may be used as well. :map-alt-keys- Use the '_' or ',' character and then any other character. The "_" and ","
commands do exist in Vim (see _ and ,), but you probably never use them.
- Use a key that isa synonym for another command. For example: CTRL-P and
CTRL-N. Use an extra character to allow more mappings.
- The key defined by <Leader> and one or more other keys. This is especially
useful in scripts. mapleader
See the file "index" for keys that are not used and thus can be mapped without
losing any builtin function. You can also use ":help{key}^D" to find out if
a key is used for some command. ({key} is the specific key you want to find
out about, ^D isCTRL-D).
1.8 EXAMPLES map-examplesA few examples (given as you type them, for "<CR>" you type four characters;
the '<' flag must not be present in 'cpoptions' for this to work).
:map <F3> o#include :map <M-g> /foo<CR>cwbar<Esc> :map _x d/END/e<CR> :map! qq quadrillion questions
Multiplying acount
When you type acount before triggering a mapping, it's like the count was
typed before the {lhs}. For example, with this mapping:
:map <F4> 3w
Typing 2<F4> will result in "23w". Thus not moving 2 * 3 words but 23 words.
If you want to multiply counts use the expression register:
:map <F4> @='3w'<CR>
The part between quotesis the expression being executed. @=
1.9 USING MAPPINGS map-typing
Vim will compare what you type with the start of a mapped sequence. If there
is an incomplete match, it will get more characters until there either isa
complete match or until there is no match at all. Example: If you map! "qq",
the first 'q' will not appear on the screen until you type another
character. This is because Vim cannot know if the next character will be a
'q' or not. If the 'timeout' option is on (which is the default) Vim will
only wait for one second (or as long as specified with the 'timeoutlen'
option). After that it assumes that the 'q' is to be interpreted as such. If
you type slowly, or your system is slow, reset the 'timeout' option. Then you
might want to set the 'ttimeout' option.
map-precedence
Buffer-local mappings (defined using :map-<buffer>) take precedence over
global mappings. When a buffer-local mappingis the same asa global mapping,
Vim will use the buffer-local mapping. In addition, Vim will use a complete
mapping immediately if it was defined with <nowait>, even if a longer mapping
has the same prefix. For example, given the following two mappings:
:map <buffer> <nowait> \a :echo "Local \a"<CR> :map \abc :echo "Global \abc"<CR>
When typing \a the buffer-local mapping will be used immediately. Vim will
not wait for more characters to see if the user might be typing \abc.
map-keys-fails
There are situations where key codes might not be recognized:
- Vim can only read part of the key code. Mostly this is only the first
character. This happens on some Unix versions in an xterm.
- The key code is after character(s) that are mapped. E.g., "<F1><F1>" or
"g<F1>".
The result is that the key code is not recognized in this situation, and the
mapping fails. There are two actions needed to avoid this problem:
- Remove the 'K' flag from 'cpoptions'. This will make Vim wait for the rest
of the characters of the function key.
- When using <F1> to <F4> the actual key code generated may correspond to
<xF1> to <xF4>. There are mappings from <xF1> to <F1>, <xF2> to <F2>, etc.,
but these are not recognized after another half a mapping. Make sure the
key codes for <F1> to <F4> are correct:
:set <F1>=<type CTRL-V><type F1>
Type the <F1>as four characters. The part after the "=" must be done with
the actual keys, not the literal text.
Another solution is to use the actual key code in the mapping for the second
special key:
:map <F1><Esc>OP :echo "yes"<CR>
Don't type a real <Esc>, Vim will recognize the key code and replace it with
<F1> anyway.
Another problem may be that when keeping ALT or Meta pressed the terminal
prepends ESC instead of setting the 8th bit. See :map-alt-keys.recursive_mapping
If you include the {lhs} in the {rhs} you have a recursive mapping. When
{lhs}is typed, it will be replaced with {rhs}. When the {lhs} which is
included in {rhs}is encountered it will be replaced with {rhs}, and so on.
This makes it possible to repeat a command an infinite number of times. The
only problem is that the only way to stop this is by causing an error. The
macros to solve a maze uses this, look there for an example. There is one
exception: If the {rhs} starts with {lhs}, the first character is not mapped
again (this isVi compatible).
For example:
:map ab abcd
will execute the "a" command and insert "bcd" in the text. The "ab" in the
{rhs} will not be mapped again.
If you want to exchange the meaning of two keys you should use the :noremap
command. For example:
:noremap k j :noremap j k
This will exchange the cursor up and down commands.
With the normal :map command, when the 'remap' option is on, mapping takes
place until the text is found not to be a part of a{lhs}. For example, if
you use:
:map x y :map y x
Vim will replace x with y, and then y with x, etc. When this has happened
'maxmapdepth' times (default 1000), Vim will give the error message
"recursive mapping".:map-undo
If you include an undo command inside a mapped sequence, this will bring the
text back in the state before executing the macro. This is compatible with
the original Vi, as long as there is only one undo command in the mapped
sequence (having two undo commands in a mapped sequence did not make sense
in the original Vi, you would get back the text before the first undo).
1.10 MAPPING ALT-KEYS :map-alt-keys
In the GUI Vim handles the Alt key itself, thus mapping keys with ALT should
always work. But in aterminal Vim gets a sequence of bytes and has to figure
out whether ALT was pressed or not.
By default Vim assumes that pressing the ALT key sets the 8th bit of a typed
character. Most decent terminals can work that way, such as xterm, aterm and
rxvt. If your <A-k> mappings don't work it might be that the terminalis
prefixing the character with an ESC character. But you can just as well type
ESC before a character, thus Vim doesn't know what happened (except for
checking the delay between characters, which is not reliable).
As of this writing, some mainstream terminals like gnome-terminal and konsole
use the ESC prefix. There doesn't appear a way to have them use the 8th bit
instead. Xterm should work well by default. Aterm and rxvt should work well
when started with the "--meta8" argument. You can also tweak resources like
"metaSendsEscape", "eightBitInput" and "eightBitOutput".
On the Linux console, this behavior can be toggled with the "setmetamode"
command. Bear in mind that not using an ESC prefix could get you in trouble
with other programs. You should make sure that bash has the "convert-meta"
option set to "on" in order for your Meta keybindings to still work on it
(it's the default readline behavior, unless changed by specific system
configuration). For that, you can add the line:
set convert-meta on
to your ~/.inputrc file. If you're creating the file, you might want to use:
$include /etc/inputrcas the first line, if that file exists on your system, to keep global options.
This may cause a problem for entering special characters, such as the umlaut.
Then you should use CTRL-V before that character.
Bear in mind that convert-meta has been reported to have troubles when used in
UTF-8 locales. On terminals like xterm, the "metaSendsEscape" resource can be
toggled on the fly through the "Main Options" menu, by pressing Ctrl-LeftClick
on the terminal; that's a good last resource in case you want to send ESC when
using other applications but not when inside Vim.
1.11 MAPPING AN OPERATOR :map-operator
An operatoris used before a{motion} command. To define your own operator
you must create mapping that first sets the 'operatorfunc' option and then
invoke the g@ operator. After the user types the {motion} command the
specified function will be called.
g@E774E775
g@{motion} Call the function set by the 'operatorfunc' option.
The '[markis positioned at the start of the text
moved over by {motion}, the ']mark on the last
character of the text.
The function is called with one String argument:
"line" {motion} was linewise
"char" {motion} was characterwise
"block" {motion} was blockwise-visual
Although "block" would rarely appear, since it can
only result from Visual mode where "g@" is not useful.
{not available when compiled without the +eval
feature}
Here is an example that counts the number of spaces with <F4>:
nmap <silent> <F4> :set opfunc=CountSpaces<CR>g@ vmap <silent> <F4> :<C-U>call CountSpaces(visualmode(), 1)<CR> function! CountSpaces(type, ...) let sel_save = &selection let &selection = "inclusive" let reg_save = @@ if a:0 " Invoked from Visual mode, use gv command. silent exe "normal! gvy" elseif a:type == 'line' silent exe "normal! '[V']y" else silent exe "normal! `[v`]y" endif echomsg strlen(substitute(@@, '[^ ]', '', 'g')) let &selection = sel_save let @@ = reg_save endfunctionNote that the 'selection' option is temporarily set to "inclusive" to be able
to yank exactly the right text by using Visual mode from the '[ to the ']
mark.
Also note that there isa separate mapping for Visual mode. It removes the
"'<,'>" range that ":" inserts in Visual mode and invokes the function with
visualmode() and an extra argument.
==============================================================================
2. AbbreviationsabbreviationsAbbreviationsAbbreviations are used in Insert mode, Replace mode and Command-line mode.
If you enter aword that is an abbreviation, itis replaced with the wordit
stands for. This can be used to save typing for often used long words. And
you can use it to automatically correct obvious spelling errors.
Examples:
:iab ms Microsoft
:iab tihs this
There are three types of abbreviations:
full-id The "full-id" type consists entirely of keyword characters (letters
and characters from 'iskeyword' option). This is the most common
abbreviation.
Examples: "foo", "g3", "-1"
end-id The "end-id" type ends in a keyword character, but all the other
characters are not keyword characters.
Examples: "#i", "..f", "$/7"
non-id The "non-id" type ends in a non-keyword character, the other
characters may be of any type, excluding space and tab. {this type
is not supported by Vi}
Examples: "def#", "4/7$"
Examples of strings that cannot be abbreviations: "a.b", "#def", "ab", "_$r"
An abbreviation is only recognized when you type a non-keyword character.
This can also be the <Esc> that ends insert mode or the <CR> that ends a
command. The non-keyword character which ends the abbreviation is inserted
after the expanded abbreviation. An exception to this is the character <C-]>,
which is used to expand an abbreviation without inserting any extra
characters.
Example:
:ab hh hello
"hh<Space>" is expanded to "hello<Space>"
"hh<C-]>" is expanded to "hello"
The characters before the cursor must match the abbreviation. Each type has
an additional rule:
full-id In front of the match isa non-keyword character, or this is where
the line or insertion starts. Exception: When the abbreviation is
only one character, itis not recognized if there isa non-keyword
character in front of it, other than aspace or a tab. However, for
the command line "'<,'>" (or any other marks) is ignored, as if the
command line starts after it.
end-id In front of the match isa keyword character, or aspace or a tab,
or this is where the line or insertion starts.
non-id In front of the match isa space, tab or the start of the line or
the insertion.
Examples: ({CURSOR} is where you type a non-keyword character)
:ab foo four old otters
" foo{CURSOR}" is expanded to " four old otters"
" foobar{CURSOR}" is not expanded
"barfoo{CURSOR}" is not expanded
:ab #i #include
"#i{CURSOR}" is expanded to "#include"
">#i{CURSOR}" is not expanded
:ab ;; <endofline>
"test;;" is not expanded
"test ;;" is expanded to "test <endofline>"
To avoid the abbreviation in Insert mode: Type CTRL-V before the character
that would trigger the abbreviation. E.g. CTRL-V<Space>. Or type part of
the abbreviation, exit insert mode with <Esc>, re-enter insert mode with "a"
and type the rest.
To avoid the abbreviation in Command-line mode: Type CTRL-Vtwice somewhere in
the abbreviation to avoid it to be replaced. ACTRL-V in front of a normal
character is mostly ignored otherwise.
It is possible to move the cursor after an abbreviation:
:iab if if ()<Left>
This does not work if 'cpoptions' includes the '<' flag. <>
You can even do more complicated things. For example, to consume the space
typed after an abbreviation:
func Eatchar(pat) let c = nr2char(getchar(0)) return (c =~ a:pat) ? '' : c endfunc iabbr <silent> if if ()<Left><C-R>=Eatchar('\s')<CR>
There are no default abbreviations.
Abbreviations are never recursive. You can use ":abf f-o-o" without any
problem. But abbreviations can be mapped. {some versions of Vi support
recursive abbreviations, for no apparent reason}
Abbreviations are disabled if the 'paste' option is on.
:abbreviate-local:abbreviate-<buffer>
Just like mappings, abbreviations can be local to a buffer. This is mostly
used in afiletype-plugin file. Example for aCplugin file:
:abb <buffer> FF for (i = 0; i < ; ++i):ab:abbreviate
:ab[breviate] list all abbreviations. The character in the first
column indicates the mode where the abbreviation is
used: 'i' for insert mode, 'c' for Command-line
mode, '!' for both. These are the same as for
mappings, see map-listing.:abbreviate-verbose
When 'verbose'is non-zero, listing an abbreviation will also display where it
was last defined. Example:
:verbose abbreviate ! teh the Last set from /home/abcd/vim/abbr.vim
See :verbose-cmd for more information.
:ab[breviate] {lhs}list the abbreviations that start with {lhs}
You may need to insertaCTRL-V (type it twice) to
avoid that a typed {lhs}is expanded, since
command-line abbreviations apply here.
:ab[breviate] [<expr>] [<buffer>] {lhs}{rhs}
add abbreviation for {lhs} to {rhs}. If {lhs} already
existed itis replaced with the new {rhs}. {rhs} may
contain spaces.
See :map-<expr> for the optional <expr> argument.
See :map-<buffer> for the optional <buffer> argument.
:una:unabbreviate
:una[bbreviate] {lhs} Remove abbreviation for {lhs} from the list. If none
is found, remove abbreviations in which {lhs} matches
with the {rhs}. This is done so that you can even
remove abbreviations after expansion. To avoid
expansion insertaCTRL-V (type it twice).
:norea:noreabbrev
:norea[bbrev] [<expr>] [<buffer>] [lhs][rhs]
same as ":ab", but no remapping for this {rhs} {not
in Vi}
:ca:cabbrev
:ca[bbrev] [<expr>] [<buffer>] [lhs][rhs]
same as ":ab", but for Command-line mode only. {not
in Vi}
:cuna:cunabbrev
:cuna[bbrev] {lhs} same as ":una", but for Command-line mode only. {not
in Vi}
:cnorea:cnoreabbrev
:cnorea[bbrev] [<expr>] [<buffer>] [lhs][rhs]
same as ":ab", but for Command-line mode only and no
remapping for this {rhs}{not in Vi}:ia:iabbrev
:ia[bbrev] [<expr>] [<buffer>] [lhs][rhs]
same as ":ab", but for Insert mode only. {not in Vi}:iuna:iunabbrev
:iuna[bbrev] {lhs} same as ":una", but for insert mode only. {not in
Vi}
:inorea:inoreabbrev
:inorea[bbrev] [<expr>] [<buffer>] [lhs][rhs]
same as ":ab", but for Insert mode only and no
remapping for this {rhs}{not in Vi}:abc:abclear
:abc[lear] [<buffer>] Remove all abbreviations. {not in Vi}:iabc:iabclear
:iabc[lear] [<buffer>] Remove all abbreviations for Insert mode. {not in Vi}:cabc:cabclear
:cabc[lear] [<buffer>] Remove all abbreviations for Command-line mode. {not
in Vi}
using_CTRL-V
It is possible to use special characters in the rhs of an abbreviation.
CTRL-V has to be used to avoid the special meaning of most non printable
characters. How many CTRL-Vs need to be typed depends on how you enter the
abbreviation. This also applies to mappings. Let's use an example here.
Suppose you want to abbreviate "esc" to enter an <Esc> character. When you
type the ":ab" command in Vim, you have to enter this: (here ^V isaCTRL-V
and ^[ is<Esc>)
You type: ab esc ^V^V^V^V^V^[
All keyboard input is subjected to ^V quote interpretation, so
the first, third, and fifth ^V characters simply allow the second,
and fourth ^Vs, and the ^[, to be entered into the command-line.
You see: ab esc ^V^V^[
The command-line contains two actual ^Vs before the ^[. This is
how it should appear in your .exrc file, if you choose to go that
route. The first ^V is there to quote the second ^V; the :ab
command uses ^V as its own quote character, so you can include quoted
whitespace or the | character in the abbreviation. The :ab command
doesn't do anything special with the ^[ character, so it doesn't need
to be quoted. (Although quoting isn't harmful; that's why typing 7
[but not 8!] ^Vs works.)
Stored as: esc ^V^[
After parsing, the abbreviation's short form ("esc") and long form
(the two characters "^V^[") are stored in the abbreviation table.
If you give the :ab command with no arguments, this is how the
abbreviation will be displayed.
Later, when the abbreviation is expanded because the user typed in
the word "esc", the long form is subjected to the same type of
^V interpretation as keyboard input. So the ^V protects the ^[
character from being interpreted as the "exit Insert mode" character.
Instead, the ^[ is inserted into the text.
Expands to: ^[
[example given by Steve Kirkendall]
==============================================================================
3. Local mappings and functionsscript-local
When using several Vim script files, there is the danger that mappings and
functions used in one script use the same name as in other scripts. To avoid
this, they can be made local to the script.
<SID><SNR>E81
The string "<SID>" can be used in amapping or menu. This requires that the
'<' flag is not present in 'cpoptions'.
When executing the map command, Vim will replace "<SID>" with the special
key code <SNR>, followed by a number that's unique for the script, and an
underscore. Example:
:map <SID>Add
could define amapping "<SNR>23_Add".
When defining a function in a script, "s:" can be prepended to the name to
make it local to the script. But when amappingis executed from outside of
the script, it doesn't know in which script the function was defined. To
avoid this problem, use "<SID>" instead of "s:". The same translation is done
as for mappings. This makes it possible to define a call to the function in
a mapping.
When a local function is executed, it runs in the context of the scriptit was
defined in. This means that new functions and mappings it defines can also
use "s:" or "<SID>" and it will use the same unique number as when the
function itself was defined. Also, the "s:var" local scriptvariables can be
used.
When executing an autocommand or a user command, it will run in the context of
the scriptit was defined in. This makes it possible that the command calls a
local function or uses a local mapping.
Otherwise, using "<SID>" outside of ascript context is an error.
If you need to get the script number to use in a complicated script, you can
use this function:
function s:SID() return matchstr(expand('<sfile>'), '<SNR>\zs\d\+\ze_SID$') endfun
The "<SNR>" will be shown when listing functions and mappings. This is useful
to find out what they are defined to.
The :scriptnames command can be used to see which scripts have been sourced
and what their <SNR> number is.
This is all {not in Vi} and {not available when compiled without the +eval
feature}.
==============================================================================
4. User-defined commands user-commands
It is possible to define your own Ex commands. A user-defined command can act
just like a built-in command (it can have a range or arguments, arguments can
be completed as filenames or buffer names, etc), except that when the command
is executed, itis transformed into a normal Ex command and then executed.
For starters: See section40.2 in the user manual.
E183E841user-cmd-ambiguous
All user defined commands must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid
confusion with builtin commands. Exceptions are these builtin commands:
:Next:X
They cannot be used for a user defined command. ":Print" is also an existing
command, but itis deprecated and can be overruled.
The other characters of the user command can be uppercase letters, lowercase
letters or digits. When using digits, note that other commands that take a
numeric argument may become ambiguous. For example, the command ":Cc2" could
be the user command ":Cc2" without an argument, or the command ":Cc" with
argument "2". It is advised to putaspace between the command name and the
argument to avoid these problems.
When using a user-defined command, the command can be abbreviated. However, if
an abbreviation is not unique, an error will be issued. Furthermore, a
built-in command will always take precedence.
Example:
:command Rename ... :command Renumber ... :Rena " Means "Rename" :Renu " Means "Renumber" :Ren " Error - ambiguous :command Paste ... :P " The built-in :Print
It is recommended that full names for user-defined commands are used in
scripts.
:com[mand] :com:commandList all user-defined commands. When listing commands,
the characters in the first two columns are
! Command has the -bang attribute
" Command has the -register attribute
b Command is local to current buffer
(see below for details on attributes)
The list can be filtered on command name with
:filter, e.g., to list all commands with "Pyth" in
the name:
filter Pyth command
:com[mand] {cmd}List the user-defined commands that start with {cmd}:command-verbose
When 'verbose'is non-zero, listing a command will also display where it was
last defined. Example:
:verbose command TOhtml Name Args Range Complete Definition TOhtml 0 % :call Convert2HTML(<line1>, <line2>) Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/plugin/tohtml.vim
See :verbose-cmd for more information.
E174E182
:com[mand][!] [{attr}...] {cmd}{rep}
Define a user command. The name of the command is{cmd} and its replacement text is{rep}. The command's
attributes (see below) are {attr}. If the command
already exists, an error is reported, unless a!is
specified, in which case the command is redefined.
There is one exception: When sourcing ascript again,
a command that was previously defined in that script
will be silently replaced.
:delc[ommand] {cmd}:delc:delcommandE184
Delete the user-defined command {cmd}.
:comc[lear] :comc:comclear
Delete all user-defined commands.
Command attributes
User-defined commands are treated by Vim just like any other Ex commands. They
can have arguments, or have a range specified. Arguments are subject to
completion as filenames, buffers, etc. Exactly how this works depends upon the
command's attributes, which are specified when the command is defined.
There are a number of attributes, split into four categories: argument
handling, completion behavior, range handling, and special cases. The
attributes are described below, by category.
Argument handling E175E176:command-nargs
By default, a user defined command will take no arguments (and an error is
reported if any are supplied). However, itis possible to specify that the
command can take arguments, using the -nargs attribute. Valid cases are:
-nargs=0 No arguments are allowed (the default)
-nargs=1 Exactly one argument is required, it includes spaces
-nargs=* Any number of arguments are allowed (0, 1, or many),
separated by white space
-nargs=? 0 or 1 arguments are allowed
-nargs=+ Arguments must be supplied, but any number are allowed
Arguments are considered to be separated by (unescaped) spaces or tabs in this
context, except when there is one argument, then the white spaceis part of
the argument.
Note that arguments are used as text, not as expressions. Specifically,
"s:var" will use the script-local variable in the script where the command was
defined, not where itis invoked! Example:
script1.vim:
:let s:error = "None" :command -nargs=1 Error echoerr <args>
script2.vim:
:source script1.vim :let s:error = "Wrong!" :Error s:error
Executing script2.vim will result in "None" being echoed. Not what you
intended! Calling a function may be an alternative.
Completion behavior :command-completionE179E180E181:command-complete
By default, the arguments of user defined commands do not undergo completion.
However, by specifying one or the other of the following attributes, argument
completion can be enabled:
-complete=arglist file names in argument list
-complete=augroup autocmd groups
-complete=buffer buffer names
-complete=behave :behave suboptions
-complete=color color schemes
-complete=command Ex command (and arguments)
-complete=compiler compilers
-complete=cscope :cscope suboptions
-complete=dir directory names
-complete=environment environment variable names
-complete=event autocommand events
-complete=expression Vim expression
-complete=file file and directory names
-complete=file_in_path file and directory names in 'path'
-complete=filetype filetype names 'filetype'
-complete=function function name
-complete=help help subjects
-complete=highlight highlight groups
-complete=history :history suboptions
-complete=locale locale names (as output of locale -a)
-complete=mapclear buffer argument
-complete=mapping mapping name
-complete=menu menus
-complete=messages :messages suboptions
-complete=option options
-complete=packadd optional package pack-add names
-complete=shellcmd Shell command
-complete=sign :sign suboptions
-complete=syntax syntax file names 'syntax'
-complete=syntime :syntime suboptions
-complete=tag tags
-complete=tag_listfiles tags, file names are shown when CTRL-Dis hit
-complete=user user names
-complete=var user variables
-complete=custom,{func} custom completion, defined via {func}
-complete=customlist,{func} custom completion, defined via {func}Note: That some completion methods might expand environment variables.
Custom completion :command-completion-custom:command-completion-customlistE467E468
It is possible to define customized completion schemes via the "custom,{func}"
or the "customlist,{func}" completion argument. The {func} part should be a
function with the following signature:
:function {func}(ArgLead, CmdLine, CursorPos)
The function need not use all these arguments. The function should provide the
completion candidates as the return value.
For the "custom" argument, the function should return the completion
candidates one per line in a newline separated string.
For the "customlist" argument, the function should return the completion
candidates asa Vim List. Non-string items in the list are ignored.
The function arguments are:
ArgLead the leading portion of the argument currently being
completed on
CmdLine the entire command line
CursorPos the cursor position in it (byte index)
The function may use these for determining context. For the "custom"
argument, itis not necessary to filter candidates against the (implicit
pattern in) ArgLead. Vim will filter the candidates with its regexp engine
after function return, and this is probably more efficient in most cases. For
the "customlist" argument, Vim will not filter the returned completion
candidates and the user supplied function should filter the candidates.
The following example lists user names to a Finger command
:com -complete=custom,ListUsers -nargs=1 Finger !finger <args> :fun ListUsers(A,L,P) : return system("cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwd") :endfun
The following example completes filenames from the directories specified in
the 'path' option:
:com -nargs=1 -bang -complete=customlist,EditFileComplete \ EditFile edit<bang> <args> :fun EditFileComplete(A,L,P) : return split(globpath(&path, a:A), "\n") :endfun
This example does not work for file names with spaces!
Range handling E177E178:command-range:command-count
By default, user-defined commands do not accept a line number range. However,
itis possible to specify that the command does take a range (the -range
attribute), or that it takes an arbitrary count value, either in the line
number position (-range=N, like the :split command) or asa "count"
argument (-count=N, like the :Next command). The count will then be
available in the argument with <count>.
Possible attributes are:
-range Range allowed, default is current line
-range=% Range allowed, default is whole file (1,$)
-range=N Acount (default N) which is specified in the line
number position (like :split); allows for zero line
number.
-count=N Acount (default N) which is specified either in the line
number position, or as an initial argument (like :Next).
Specifying -count (without a default) acts like -count=0
Note that -range=N and -count=N are mutually exclusive- only one should be
specified.
:command-addr
It is possible that the special characters in the range like ., $ or % which
by default correspond to the current line, last line and the whole buffer,
relate to arguments, (loaded) buffers, windows or tab pages.
Possible values are:
-addr=lines Range of lines (this is the default)
-addr=arguments Range for arguments
-addr=buffers Range for buffers (also not loaded buffers)
-addr=loaded_buffers Range for loaded buffers
-addr=windows Range for windows
-addr=tabs Range for tab pages
-addr=other other kind of range
Special cases :command-bang:command-bar:command-register:command-buffer
There are some special cases as well:
-bang The command can take a! modifier (like :q or :w)
-bar The command can be followed by a "|" and another command.
A "|" inside the command argument is not allowed then.
Also checks for a " to start a comment.
-register The first argument to the command can be an optional
register name (like :del, :put, :yank).
-buffer The command will only be available in the current buffer.
In the cases of the -count and -register attributes, if the optional argument
is supplied, itis removed from the argument list and is available to the
replacement text separately.
Note that these arguments can be abbreviated, but that isa deprecated
feature. Use the full name for new scripts.
Replacement text
The replacement text for a user defined command is scanned for special escape
sequences, using <...> notation. Escape sequences are replaced with values
from the entered command line, and all other text is copied unchanged. The
resulting stringis executed as an Ex command. To avoid the replacement use
<lt> in place of the initial <. Thus to include "<bang>" literally use
"<lt>bang>".
The valid escape sequences are
<line1><line1> The starting line of the command range.
<line2><line2> The final line of the command range.
<range><range> The number of items in the command range: 0, 1 or 2
<count><count> Any count supplied (as described for the '-range'
and '-count' attributes).
<bang><bang> (See the '-bang' attribute) Expands to a! if the
command was executed with a! modifier, otherwise
expands to nothing.
<mods><mods> The command modifiers, if specified. Otherwise, expands to
nothing. Supported modifiers are :aboveleft,:belowright,:botright,:browse,:confirm,:hide,:keepalt,:keepjumps,:keepmarks,:keeppatterns,:leftabove,:lockmarks,:noswapfile:rightbelow,:silent,:tab,:topleft,:verbose, and :vertical.Note that these are not yet supported: :noautocmd,:sandbox and :unsilent.
Examples:
command! -nargs=+ -complete=file MyEdit \ for f in expand(<q-args>, 0, 1) | \ exe '<mods> split ' . f | \ endfor function! SpecialEdit(files, mods) for f in expand(a:files, 0, 1) exe a:mods . ' split ' . f endfor endfunction command! -nargs=+ -complete=file Sedit \ call SpecialEdit(<q-args>, <q-mods>)<reg><register><reg> (See the '-register' attribute) The optional register,
if specified. Otherwise, expands to nothing. <register>isa synonym for this.
<args><args> The command arguments, exactly as supplied (but as
noted above, any count or register can consume some
of the arguments, which are then not part of <args>).
<lt>A single '<' (Less-Than) character. This is needed if you
want to get a literal copy of one of these escape sequences
into the expansion - for example, to get <bang>, use
<lt>bang>.
<q-args>
If the first two characters of an escape sequence are "q-" (for example,
<q-args>) then the value is quoted in such a way as to make ita valid value
for use in an expression. This uses the argument as one single value.
When there is no argument <q-args>is an empty string.
<f-args>
To allow commands to pass their arguments on to a user-defined function, there
isa special form <f-args>("function args"). This splits the command
arguments at spaces and tabs, quotes each argument individually, and the
<f-args> sequence is replaced by the comma-separated list of quoted arguments.
See the Mycmd example below. If no arguments are given <f-args>is removed.
To embed whitespace into an argument of <f-args>, prepend a backslash.
<f-args> replaces every pair of backslashes (\\) with one backslash. Abackslash followed by a character other than white space or abackslash
remains unmodified. Overview:
command <f-args>
XX ab'ab'
XX a\b 'a\b'
XX a\ b'a b'
XX a\ b'a ', 'b'
XX a\\b 'a\b'
XX a\\ b 'a\', 'b'
XX a\\\b 'a\\b'
XX a\\\ b 'a\ b'
XX a\\\\b 'a\\b'
XX a\\\\ b 'a\\', 'b'
Examples
" Delete everything after here to the end :com Ddel +,$d " Rename the current buffer :com -nargs=1 -bang -complete=file Ren f <args>|w<bang> " Replace a range with the contents of a file " (Enter this all as one line) :com -range -nargs=1 -complete=file Replace <line1>-pu_|<line1>,<line2>d|r <args>|<line1>d " Count the number of lines in the range :com! -range -nargs=0 Lines echo <line2> - <line1> + 1 "lines" " Call a user function (example of <f-args>) :com -nargs=* Mycmd call Myfunc(<f-args>)
When executed as:
:Mycmd arg1 arg2
This will invoke:
:call Myfunc("arg1","arg2") :" A more substantial example :function Allargs(command) : let i = 0 : while i < argc() : if filereadable(argv(i)) : execute "e " . argv(i) : execute a:command : endif : let i = i + 1 : endwhile :endfunction :command -nargs=+ -complete=command Allargs call Allargs(<q-args>)
The command Allargs takes any Vim command(s) as argument and executes it on all
files in the argument list. Usage example (note use of the "e" flag to ignore
errors and the "update" command to write modified buffers):
:Allargs %s/foo/bar/ge|update
This will invoke:
:call Allargs("%s/foo/bar/ge|update")
When defining a user command in a script, it will be able to call functions
local to the script and use mappings local to the script. When the user
invokes the user command, it will run in the context of the scriptit was
defined in. This matters if <SID>is used in a command.
vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: